Mowing-machine



2 sheets-sheet 1.

G. s. PE0K,J1-., au C. H. PEGK. MOWING MACHINE.

No. 309,563. PatentedDec. 23, 17884.

(No Model.)

zffnesses: Y

' 2 sheets-sheen 2. G. s. PEGK, au 0. H. PEGK.

MOWI No. 309,563.

(No Model.)

JDS@

GEORGE S. PEOK, JR., AND OAID I-I.

Farnnr Erica.

PECK, OF ATHENS, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,563, dated December 23, 1884-.

Application filed November 15, 1883. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, GEORGE S. PEoic, Jr., and GMD II. IEorr, citizens of the United States, and residents ot' Athens, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Center-Draft Mowing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The objects ot' our invention are, first, to give a uniform reci procatory inovelnent to the knife-bar, and to prevent any rising of said knife-bar at theend ot' its stroke; second, to furnish an improved device for connecting the pitman and bell-crank; third,to furnish an improved device for raising and lowering the knife-bar, thus regulating the height of cut; i'ourth, to Afurnish an improvement in the devices for attaching the swath-boards to the machine; tifth, to furnish an improved device for preventing the cut grass from falling outside of the swath boards; and, sixth, to furnish an improved apparatus i'or elevating and holding the shoes and attached parts clear of the ground.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which similar letters ot' reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a side view ot' a mowing machine embodying our improvements; Fig. 2, a top view oi the same; Fig. 3, a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the bell-crank and connecting parts; Fig. i, a side view of the same; Fig. 5, a cross-section on the line 1 2 of Fig. et, Fig. 6, a side view ot' the shoe K of the side arm, B, Fig. 7, a front view of the lever O and connecting parts for elevating the front ends of the side bars, B; Fig. 8, a side view of the same; Fig. 9, a plan of the knife-bar, showing the box A; Fig. 10, a plan of the knifebar, showing the block D and bellcrank in place; Fig. 11, a plan of the block D; Fig. 12, a plan of the end portion of the bellcrank which works in the block D; Fig. 13, a rear elevation of the inner portion of the bellcrank, showing'the opening F for t-he passage of the pitman; Fig. 14, an enlarged sectional view ot' a portion of the bell-crank, showing the method of connecting it to t-he pitman; Fig. 15, a plan view showing a guard finger tnd swatlrboard and method of attaching the atter.

rllhe bell-crank E is fulcrumed upon a pivot, H, on the side bar, B, 'and is of the usual well known shape. One end of this bellcrank is connected to the knife-bar I and the other to the pitman G. The pitman Gis connected to the crank-shaft of the machine in the usual wellknown manner, (this connection not shown in the accompanying drawings,) and is connected to the bellcrank, as illustrated in Fig. 14. The end J ofthe bellcrank Eis a sphere through which t-he pitman G passes. The opening F in the sphere or ball through which the pitman passes is elongated, as shown in Fig. 16, so as to allow considerable play for the movements of said pitman and bell-crank.

L L are concave washers, which are carried by the pitman G, and which clasp the outside ot' the sphere or ball J.

M M are nuts, which are screwed on the pitman, as shown, and which hold the washers L L in place, and by means of which said washers may be tightened up when necessary. It will be observed that the above-described device is a very simple and perfectly-adjustable ball-a-nd-socket joint. The other end of the bell-crank is connected with and imparts the reciprocating motion to the knife-bar I. Our devices for making this connection are as follows: A is a box, which is iixed directly on the end of the knife-bar I. D is a sliding block or bearing, which is placed in the box A, and which is bored out, as shown in Fig. 11, to receive the pivot c of the bell-crank E. The bottom of the box A is parallel with the plane in which the bell-crank vibrates-in other words, is at right angles to the axis of the pivot I-I, upon which the bell-crank vibrates,and the pivots at the center and the forward end of the bell-crank are parallel. It will be observed that the box A is rectangular, and is longer than the bearing-block D, so as to allow the latter to slide back and forth during the movements or" the bell-crank.

The operation of the above-described devices is as follows: The pitman is actuated in the usual well-known manner, and imparts motion to the bell-crank E, the ball-and-socket joint at their point of connection permitting a free movement and preventing jarring and strains.

To prevent rising of the knife-bar at the IOO end of its stroke, the bearing D for the pivot e2 of the bell-crank slides in a plane parallel with the plane in which the bell-crank vi.- brates, and the axes of the pivot e2 and fulcrumpin H of the bell-crank are parallel.

Our improved devices for regulating the height of the knives abovethe ground are as follows: The forward ends of the side bars, B, are formed into shoes K, to which the finger-bar T, which supports the cutting apparatus, is secured. The forward ends of the shoes K are turned up,and are furnished with serrations d. The adjustable shoes S are hinged to the side arms, B, at a, and their front ends are furnished with upwardly-extending flanges O, the inner sides of which have serrations b, corresponding with the serrations d, as shown in section in Fig. 5.

l? is a slot in the iiange O, and c aboltpassing throughthis slot and through the shoe K. e is-a nut on the end of the bolt c. If it be desired to change the height of cut, the nuts e are loosened, the shoes K are raised or lowered to the desired point, and the nuts e again,

tightened. As the teeth b and d on the flanges O and shoes K ,lock together, there is no danger of the shoes K falling. By the use of the teethpall strain is taken off/the bolt c.

In devices for regulating the height of the shoes K ithas heretofore been usual to have a number of holes drilled through the flanges O for the bolts c to pass through. This necessitates the removal of the boltscfroin the iianges O and shoes K whenever it becomes necessary to change the height ot' cut. By the use of the slots P we have only to loosen the nuts c to change the height of cut.

It has heretofore been usual to attach the swath-boards R to the shoes. Our improvement consists in attaching them to the guardfingers j', which are elongated at their rear ends for this purpose. The lingers f are riveted or bolted to the finger-bar T in the usual manner, and are furnished with rear Aprojections, g', to which 'castings h are pivoted by pivots fi, the swath-boards being secured to the castings by boltsj, as shown. By securing these boards to the iingers the shoes are not encumbered with additional pieces. Attached-to the front ends of the shoes we have rods o, which turn up and back over-the knifebar at an angle sufficient to clear the bellcrank E, as shown, and which are intended to prevent cut grass from falling behind the swath-boards B. These rods are made short and rigid, so as to resist all strain on them.

Our improved device for raising the shoes, with the cutting apparatus, clear ofthe ground is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7, and S.

U, Figs. l and 2, are sector-arms having grooved peripheries, in which the liftingchains Vlie, the upper ends of these chains being attached to the upper ends of the sectorpulleys and the lower ends to the side arms, B. The sector-pulleys U are carried on a rockshaft, m, which extends completely across the machine, and which is supported on the frame by brackets a.

C is a hand-lever, which is supported upon a pivot, C', and D is a skeleton sector-arm attached to the lower part of this lever.

E is an arm keyed fast to the rock-shaft m, and furnished at its upper end with a pin, c', which slides on the inner side of the arc portion of the sector-arm D.

F is a dog furnished with notches f/ g and pivoted to the upper part of the sector-arm D.

G is a rod pivoted to a projection on the dog F', and to the thumb-lever at the end of the lever G, as shown; and h is a spring for keeping the dog down.

In the drawings the shoe S is represented as being upon the ground. It' it be desired to raise it, the lever C will.. be drawn back and the pin c on the arm Ei will be caused to slide along the sector-arm D. This will cause a backward movement of said pin c', thereby rocking the shaft m, and the sector-pulleys U will be turned upwardly, thus winding up the chains V and raising the front ends of the side arms, B, which are pivoted at X to arms on the main axle, as shown, and with them the shoes and cutting apparatus. When the pin c reaches the notches j or g in the dog F', it will be held in place by the dog, and the side arms,B, will be prevented from falling. Vhen it is desired to unlock the pin e and lower the side arms, B, the lever C is drawn back, and by movement of the rod G the dog F is drawn back and the pin e passes the notches f and r/ and returns to its first position'.

Having thus described our invention, we claiml. The combination, in a mowing-machine, of the knife-bar l, box A, sliding bearing D, and bell-crank E, the axes of the pivot e2 and fulcrum-pin H of the bell-crank being parallel, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a mowing-machine, of the bell-crank E, formed with the ball J, having an opening, F, the pitman G, passing through said opening, the concave washers L L, and nuts M M, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. ln combination with the finger-bar, the guard-fingers f, having rearward extensions. the swath-boards B, castings h, and pivots i, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

at. In combination with the main frame and cutting apparatus, the rock-shaft m, the arm E', fixed to said rock-shaft, and provided with the pin c', the lever C, sector-arm D, dog F', having notches f y', the rod G', spring h', the sector-arms U, and chains V, all arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEORGE S. BECK, JR. OAID H. BECK. Vi tnesses:

GEORGE A. KINNY, OLAUD H. ARNOLD.

roo 

